Match-box.



' J. P. MURRAY.

MATCH BOX.

APPLICATION mam JULY 6, 1911.

1,029,080, Patented June 11, 1912.

JzZ/Zzwqg entor y I V I Attorneys ran srxrns PATENT orrron.

JOHN F. MURRAY, OF COLORADO SPRINGiS, COLORADO, ASSIGNOR OF ONE-THIRD TO GEORGE A. SOI-IRODY AND ONE-THIRD'T O EDWARD T. MURRAY, BOTH OF COLORADO SPRINGS, COLORADO.

Specification of Letters Patent.

MATCH-BOX.

Patented June 11, 1912.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, JOHN F. MURRAY, a citizen of the United States, residing at Colorado Springs, in the county of El Paso and State of Colorado, have invented a new and useful Match-Box, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to match boxes of that type designed to be carried in the pocket and the object of the invention is to provide a simple device of this type adapted to deliver matches one at a time into the hand of the user. A

A further object is to provide a box which is cheap to manufacture compact in construction, and which will not readily get out of order.

With the foregoing and other objects in view which will appear as the description proceeds, the invention resides in the combination and arrangement of parts and in 'the details of construction hereinafter described and claimed, it being understood that changes in the precise embodiment of the invention herein disclosed can be made within the scope of what is claimed without departing from the spirit of the invention.

In the accompanying drawings the preferred form of the invention has been shown.

In said drawings.Figure 1 is a perspective view of the box. Fig. v2 is a perspective view showing the parts thereof separated. Fig. 3 is a vertical transverse section through the box. Fig. 4 is a longitudinal section.

Referring to the figures by characters of reference 1 designates the body of the box, the same having side flanges 2 and a top flange 3, said top flange being stepped so as to form a ledge 4. to which is secured the middle portion of a bow spring 5, the free ends of this spring being normally projected above the flange 3.

Longitudinal slots 6 are formed within the side flanges 2 and extending between the lower end portions of these flanges and below the slots is a curved guide plate 7 having a downwardly extending flange 7 curved backwardly under the plate 7 and merging into the bottom flange 8 of the body. A slide 9 bears upon the flanges 2 and has side flanges 11 bearing against the outer faces of the flanges 2 and provided with guide ribs 12 projecting into the slots gravity into the body 1.

6. A top flange 13 connects the upper ends of the side flanges 11 and bears downwardly on the free ends of spring 5 and a bottom flange 14 connects the lower ends of the side flanges 11 and is designed to bear against the lower surface of the flange 8, it being held yieldingly in contact therewith by the sprlng 5 which pushes upwardly against the flange 13. Ribs 12 of course hold the plate 9 against-displacement relative to the flanges 2 and also serve to limit the sliding movement of the plate upon the flanges. The throat formed between the lower edge of the plate 7 and the inner face of the plate 9 is sufliciently wide to permit a single match to pass therethrough into the space formed between the inclined flange 7 and the bottom flange 18 of the plate 9.

As heretofore stated, the plate 9 is held normally yieldingly supported by the spring 5 andwith flange 14 bearing against the flange 8 One way of removing a match from the box is to hold the box between the thumb and fingers of the hand and pull plate '9towar'd the palm of the hand by the thumb.

Spring 5 is thus placed under stress and the flange 13 moves downwardly away from the flange 8, thus exposing an opening sufficiently large to permit the escape therethrough of the match which was seated between plate 9 and the flange 7 The match will drop into the palm of the hand and as soon as the plate 9 is released, spring 5 will return it to its normal position relative to the body 1.

c To fill the box, the same is inverted so as to bring the flange 13 uppermost and the plate 9 is then shifted so as to-place spring 5 under stress. The matches can then be inserted one at a time into the space between plate 9 and the flange 8 and will fall by Plate 9 can be easily removed simply by pressing inwardly on the flanges 2 so as to cause them to spring out of engagement with the ribs 12.

The match box can of course be made of any material desired and can be suitably ornamented so as to present an attractive appearance.

What is claimed is 1. A match box including a body having a guide plate therein extending throughout the width thereof and downwardly to an outlet throat the length of said throat being greater than the length of the matches, a

plate slidably mounted upon and closing the body, a flange on said plate for normally closing the throat, and a spring interposed between the body and plate for holding said flange yieldingly in closed position.

. 2. A match box including a body having an outlet throat at its lower end, there being a ledge at the upper end of the body, a plate slidably mounted on the body, a flange thereon overhanging the ledge, a flange thereon extending under and normally closing said throat, and yielding means interposed between the ledge and the adjacent flange for holding the plate normally in closed position.

3. A match box including a body having an outlet throat at the bottom thereof and a guide plate leading to the throat from the back of the body, the length of the throat and the width of the plate being greater than the length of the matches, a plate slid ably mounted on the body and constituting a closure therefor, means upon the plate for closing said throat, a ledge upon the body, and elastic means upon the ledge and engaging the plate to hold the same normally in position to close the throat.

4. A match box including a body having an outlet throat at the bottom thereof, a guide plate leading downwardly to said throat from the back of the body, and a .Gopies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressing the Washington, D. 0.

flange extending downwardly from and under the guide plate, a plate constituting a closure for the body and slidably mounted on said body, a flange on said plate for closing the throat, and resilient means interposed between the plate and body for hold ing said flange normally in'closed position. 5. A match box including a body,there being a throat at the bottom thereof and extending throughout the width of the body, a guide plate for directing the contents of the body to the throat,said guide plate being of a width greater than the length of the matches, a plate slidable on and constituting a closure for the body, a flange carried thereby for closing a throat, a spring housed between the body and the plate for holding said plate normally in position with the flange closing the throat, and cooperating means upon the body and plate for limiting the movement of said plate relative to the JOHN F. MURRAY.

Witnesses:

GEORGE A. SoHRoDY, W. B. MOKIBBEN.

Commissioner of Patents, 

